"National Beef Month" Celebrated Month of May

www.agrinews-pubs.com
Whitney Cole
2010-05-17

INDIANAPOLIS — Thoughts of May bring images of racecars to mind to most Hoosiers. But, believe it or not, other states around the country mark the month with other events.

Across the county, May is celebrated as National Beef Month. Consumers can watch for special promotions and coupons at their favorite retailer, and producers will watch as the demand for their products continue to help push the industry farther into prosperity.

Indiana Beef Cattle Association executive vice president Joe Moore said May is a great month to celebrate beef as people begin to spend more time outdoors grilling.

“The kickoff of the summer grilling season is the appropriate time to celebrate National Beef Month,” he said.

The national beef checkoff has rolled out numerous consumer-focused programs in celebration of the month, including one focused on highlighting the 29 lean beef cuts.

Helen Wiese, chair of the retail committee and director of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, is a seed stock cattle producer in Iowa.

She said May through fall tailgating season is a great time to focus on moving beef product.

“May beef month is a great opportunity for us to kick off our summer grilling program,” she said.

The month marks new beginnings with crops being planted, calving and flowers peaking out from their winter rests.

“It’s also a great time for the beef industry to rejuvenated after winter and to start moving product,” the producer said.

From the first grill out of the season to July fourth and Father’s Day all give beef consumers a chance to take advantage of the variety of cut available.

“Couponing has become a huge thing for customers and for us to give out,” Weise said. “The partners we have — such as Kraft, A1, Heinz, Anheuser-Busch and Mrs. Dash — offer coupons for a discount on beef when a customer purchases their products.”

She said the best part about the partnerships is that those companies pick up the tab for the coupon redemption.

“Every dollar the beef check off spends for us, our partners spend $25,” she said. “That will result in 100 million coupons being issued.”

Anheuser-Busch even has a rebate program that includes an offer of 10 dollars in beef, Weise added.

“It’s a great compliment to the beef industry that these partners want to work with us,” she explained. “It means they have confidence in our products and they think our products compliment theirs well. It’s really exciting for us.”

Weise said the checkoff focuses on increasing beef demand, increasing producers’ profitability and keeping beef center of the plate.

“All of our programs, including the coupons and rebates help do all three of those things,” she said.

Other promotions NCBA has supported include slice and save, bundling and a middle meats campaign.

“With the slice and save, we encourage customers to purchase a larger amount of beef, then cut it at home to use in separate meals. It save them money and saves the butch time,” Weise said.

With bundling, a consumer may purchase 10 pounds of beef in a variety of cuts in order to buy the entire amount for a lower price.

“That’s the goal of all of these programs — to move more beef,” Weise said.

“We’re trying to move beef and add value to it. Our retailers are as much our partners as any of the large national companies.”


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